Classpot
Sir Roger Manwood's School

Sir Roger Manwood's School

Dover, CT13 9JXSecondary School·Ages 11-18
Goodby Ofsted

95%

Capacity

1,016

Pupils

3.5x

Demand

About Sir Roger Manwood's School

Sir Roger Manwood's School sits comfortably above the Kent local authority average for Progress 8, posting a score of 0.21 against the LA average of -0.13. That gap of 0.34 is a solid indicator that pupils here make stronger progress than their peers across the county. The school ranks 34th out of 106 state secondaries in Kent, placing it in the top third of the authority. Its Attainment 8 score of 63.2 is notably high, and the basics measure — the percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths — stands at 86.2%, a figure that reflects strong core subject performance. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Good across all categories, including quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. This is a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2012, but the inspection report still paints a picture of a school that is performing well above the local norm.

At GCSE, the school's Progress 8 banding is rated as Average, but the individual subject breakdowns reveal some variation. Progress in the EBacc subjects is notably strong at 0.41, while English progress is slightly negative at -0.17, suggesting the school's humanities and languages provision may be a particular strength. The EBacc entry rate is high at 73.6%, and 53.5% of pupils achieved the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. At A-level, the picture is more mixed: the value-added score is -0.12, placing it in the Average band, with an average points per entry of 35.59, equivalent to a B- grade. The best three A-levels average out at B-, and 15.4% of entries achieved AAB or higher. The sixth form is rated Good by Ofsted, and with 104 pupils in the cohort, it is a sizeable but not enormous provision.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 397 applications for 113 places, a ratio of 3.51 applicants per place, with 137 first-preference applications. This level of demand suggests strong local reputation. Facilities include a theatre, art studios, science labs, a sixth form centre, and extensive sports provision including rowing, swimming, and hockey. The school offers a wide range of clubs from Model UN to Young Enterprise, and its SEND provision covers a broad spectrum including dyslexia, autism, and speech and language needs. With 11.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is slightly below the national average for disadvantage. This is a school that suits families looking for a high-performing, academically focused state secondary with a strong sixth form, but one where the pressure is balanced by good pastoral support and a broad extracurricular offer.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 18 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressManwood Road, Sandwich, Dover, CT13 9JX
HeadteacherBen Pennells
Local AuthorityKent
Number of Pupils1,016
Free School Meals (FSM)11.2%
School Capacity1,016 / 1,070 (95% full)
Sixth FormYes

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

27 Sept 2022
View Report

Overall Effectiveness

Good

Declined
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form Provision
Good

Source: Ofsted, 10 Nov 2022. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

League Table Position

Based on Progress 8 (+0.21)

1053rd of 3,141

Nationally

Top 50%

167th of 461

In South East

Top 50%

3rd of 8

In Dover

Top 50%

Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data

GCSE Results

2023/24

Progress 8 Score

+0.21Above Average

Students make more progress than similar students nationally

BelowAverageAbove

Attainment 8 (vs national avg)

+63.2Well Above Average

Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average

BelowAverageAbove
Grade 9-4 (Standard Pass)98%
Grade 9-5 (Strong Pass)86%

Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.

A-Level Results

2023/24
104 students

Average Points per Entry

35.6Grade B-

Value Added Score

-0.12Below Average
BelowAverageAbove

Best 3 A-Levels (Average)

35.5Grade B-
AAB or higher (inc. 2 facilitating)15%
Avg Points per Entry over timeStable -2.0

'21/22

39.1

'22/23

36.0

'23/24

35.6

Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.

Where GCSE leavers go

2022/23

79%

of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 152 pupils).

  • School sixth form (stay)79%
  • FE college14%
  • Apprenticeship2%
  • Employment2%

98% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.

Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.

Where school leavers go

2022/23

56%

of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 128 pupils).

Top-tier university progression

36%

Russell Group

39%

Top-third HE

3%

Oxford / Cambridge

Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.

  • University (HE)56%
  • Employment29%
  • Not sustained7%
  • Apprenticeship4%
  • Further education1%

Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.

Sixth form A-level subjects

2022/23
21 subjects
6 STEM3 creative / arts335 total entries
  • Psychology45
  • Chemistry27
  • Mathematics25
  • Biology24
  • History24
  • Geography23
  • English Literature20
  • Business Studies:Single17
  • Government and Politics15
  • Physics15
  • Art and Design (Fine Art)13
  • Film Studies13

Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionPhysicalMulti-SensoryOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

Facilities

10
Tennis CourtsTheatreArt StudiosICT SuiteLibraryPlaying FieldsSixth Form CentreScience LabsGymnasiumSports Hall

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

20

Sports

RowingFootballSwimmingTennisRugbyAthleticsCricketHockeyGymnasticsBasketball

Clubs & Activities

Science ClubChoirEco ClubNewspaperCodingBook ClubGardeningModel United NationsYoung EnterpriseDebate

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

Admissions

2025/26Oversubscribed
Places

113

Applications

397

High Demand

Competitive - many more applications than places available

Applications to places ratio3.5x
0x1x2x3x5x+

137 families put this school as their 1st choice (35% of all applications)

Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.

Class profile

2024/25
Pupils per teacherTop 25% of schools
17.6pupils per qualified teacher

Better than 75% of schools in England.

Average class sizeTop 25% of schools
22.4pupils per class

Better than 75% of schools in England.

Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.

Pupils & demographics

2024/25
Free school meals11.2%

Below the national average (25%).

English as additional language6.0%

Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.

Ethnic background

  • White British83.2%
  • Mixed5.7%
  • White (other)5.5%
  • Asian3.3%

Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.

Attendance & Behaviour

2024/25
Overall attendanceBelow average
94.0%

Half of schools in England do better than this.

Persistent absenteesBelow average
16.5%

Half of schools in England do better than this.

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

Fixed-period suspensionsBelow average
3.0 per 100

Half of schools in England do better than this.

A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.

Permanent exclusionsLike most schools
None

Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.

Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.

Catchment & Local Competition

Loading map...
1 mile reference · no real data

No catchment data published for this school

The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.

⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.

Schools within 1 mile (reference area)

1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.

4

Total schools

3

Oversubscribed

2

Primary

Medium competition area

Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About Sir Roger Manwood's School

Sir Roger Manwood's School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.

Contact Information

01304610200www.manwoods.co.uk

Manwood Road, Sandwich

Dover, CT13 9JX

Loading map...

Manwood Road, Sandwich

Dover, CT13 9JX

Journey to School

Enter your postcode to see journey times to this school

Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.

Opening Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

Parent Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience at Sir Roger Manwood's School!

Write a Review